Fire-escape



(No Model.)

W. F. HIGH.

. FIRE ESCAPE. No. 304,730. Patented Sept 1884.

Unite STATES PATENT ,FFICEEO WILLIAM F. HIGH, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

FlRE-ESCAPE.

EPEOIIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 304,730, datedSeptember 9, 1884.

Application filed March 26, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. HIGH, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Reading, county of Berks, State ofPennsylvania,havcinvented-a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Escapes,of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates more particularly to a flexible truck of a novelconstruction, which permits of the erection of a track se curely bracedand supported fromthe walls of the building.

The object of the invention is to reduce the radius of the track-curvesat the corners of the building, and thus decrease the projection of thetrack away from the same, and to facilitate the handling of thefire-escape ladder suspended from the flexible truck. These objects aresecured by the use of the several improvements shown in the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, similarletters in whichdesignate similar parts throughout.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a building with my improvement attachedthereto; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, afront elevationof the flexible truck. Fig. at is a rear elevation of the flexibletruck; Fig. 5,aside elevation of one end of the truck; Fig. 6, front, 0rear, and side views of one of the ends of the truck drawn to anenlarged scale,with details of the connecting links or bars; Fig. 7, ade tail view of the vibrating piece; Fig. 8, aplan of the track, showingthe truck in the act of rounding acorner of the building; Fig. 9,adetached elevation and side view of the portable ladder.

A represents the building; B, the track; 0, the bracket-support of thesame; D, the flexible truck as a whole; E, carrier-wheels; E, axles tosame; F, yoke or truck ends; F, vibrating piece; F fulcrum for same; Flapjoint of piece; F*, tongue of vibrating piece; F springs to retainvibrating piece in place; G, top link or connection-bar; H, lower linkor connection-bar; H, jaw or equivalent to same; I, bow top of ladder;I, fulcrum for same; J, upper section of ladder; J, rungs; J braces fromladder, reaching back to the 50 building, to steady the ladder clear ofprojectis grooved to correspond with the form of rail ing window-heads,&c.; K, a portable ladder; K, rungs of same; L, snap-hooks; M, aretractile spring; N, the operatingcord to the same, reachingto thelower rung of the ladder. The construction is as follows: The track maybe of round or rectangular section. I prefer to make it of wrought-irongas-pipe, and it will be supported and sustained upon wrought-ironbrackets of suitable form, the securing-bolts for the same passingentirely through the walls of the building. Upon the track is mounted atruck composed of two independent yokes or end pieces, each providedwitha carrying-wheel, the periphery of which or track adopted. The yokehasits frontface, 5 top, bottom, and portions of its rear face in oneunbroken piece. A gap is made in the reverse face of the yoke ofsufficient opening to permit the yoke (when secured to thecarrying-wheels) to pass the horizontal and brace support of the railnext to the building. The upper edge of the gap in the yoke is grooved,and has a fulcrum-pin, F The lower edge of the gap in the yoke is cutwith a half-lap. A

vibrating piece, F, having a fulcrum, F, a

half-lap, F and tongue F*, is suspended on the fulcrum-pin F and fillsout the gap. To retain the vibrating piece in place in its normal state,springs F are secured to the upper part of the yoke-gap and rest againstthe vibrating piece on its opposite edges,- or theside springs may beomitted and a single spring secured, as before, central to the rearface, and held in free working contact with the vibrating piece by astaple secured to the same.

To secure steadiness of movement, Iuse two of the yokes, as described,placed at a suitable distance apart upon the track, and retained intheir relative position toward each other bya plain link orconnecting-bar, G, loosely connected by a pin or belt at the top, and abar, H, of similar character, having a suspension boss or jaw, H,adapted to be secured in a similar manner to the lower ends of theyokes. These connections are all made free in movement, but positivelysecured against rupture.

To the truck thus produced a ladder of any suit-able material and designis suspended, either by short chains from each side, connect I00 ingwith the lower bar, H, of the truck, or a bow, I, having an ear andfulcrum, I, to fit within the jaw of the bar II, may be attached to theupper end of the ladder, as shown in Fig. 3. The suspended ladder Iprefer to have of such length as to reach within about sixteen to twentyfeet of the ground, the lower rung to be of metal or independentmetallic pins, to be strongly secured to the sides of the ladder nearits lower end.

In combination with track, flexible truck, and pendent ladder, asdescribed, I use a portable ladder, of sixteen to twenty feet inlength,(which corresponds with the deficient length of the suspended ladder,)and having its upper end provided with metallic clamps, terminating insnap-hooks L, with springs M and operating-cord N.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: On an alarm of fire theportableladderis taken to that side of the building at which thesuspended ladder may be placed, (out ofthe way,) is raised, and soplaced that the snap-hooks shall catch and interlock with the lower rungof the ladder, or with the pins provided thereon. When attached, theladder as a whole may be quickly drawn around upon the track to anydesired point of the building, the vibrating pieces F swinging on theirfulcrunr pins as each brace is met, and thus retains the truck inposition without danger of displacement from the track. After the ladderhas served its purpose of rescuing the occupants of the building, it isreturned to its storage place, the cord N is drawn upon, when thesprings M are pulled back, permitting the portable ladder to bereleased, which puts the escape out of the reach of burglars and whereit cannot be used for nefarious purposes.

Having shown the construction and operation of my improvement, I desireto secure by Letters Patent the following claims thereon:

1. In combination with a track projected from and supported by the wallsof the building, and of a fire-escape ladder suspended therefrom, aflexible car, D, composed of the following elements: end yokes orcarriers, F, vibrating pieces F, links G H, carrier-wheels E, axles E,and fulcrum-pins F, the whole combined, arranged, and adapted to beoperated in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with a fire-escape flext ble truck and its track, asdescribed, the suspended ladder .I, having bow I, secured to the ladderand inovably connected to the truck, and provided with rungs J and withbraces J its lower end detach-ably connected with a portable ladder, K,provided with rungs K, metallic snap-hooks L, retractile spring M, andcord N, whereby the same may be connected with or detached from theladder J substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM F. HIGH.

\Vitnesses:

Tnoivnis P. KINsEY, F. PIERCE HUMMEL.

